Wednesday, January 6, 2010

So are anyone else's feet cold? I haven't been warm in a week! We actually have accumulating snow forecast for Thursday! The last time we had accumulating snow was in the 1993 blizzard. We'll see if it actually happens. Sometimes these forecasters make promises they can't keep. ;-)

Oh, and the quilt is now washed. Thanks for everyone's help.

I saw this in the front yard and it made my heart joyful. Thank you Lord for a family to fill up these bikes. We were actually crazy enough to go for a bike ride on day after New Years. Yes, it was frigid.

My grandmother likes to get the kids Christmas gifts, but she isn't able to get out and shop any more. So she gives them each some money to go out and buy what they'd like to have. We decided to get Josiah a Johnny Jump Up. But since his name is Josiah and not Johnny we call it a Josiah Jump Up.

Learning to turn around and around. It works well for us in our space. I can hang it here near the living room or in the school room. Where ever the action is at the time, he can be there too.

It's that baby look that makes you wonder what he's thinking. :-)

Because in Florida EVERY season is grilling season. Here is more of the deer that John killed. I usually only endure dear meat. Even at its best it's usually only barely palatable to me. Tough and gamey isn't my idea of Good Eats. But thanks to Alton Brown I sort of put two and two together and modified his pork chop brine into a deer / venison brine. One thing I learned this night: BRINE THE DEER!!!!!

2/3 c kosher salt (not interchangeable with table salt. If you want to use table salt, you'll need to find a conversion)

It's completely imperative that you cut away as much connective tissue as possible. The silver skin will never ever be yummy and is insanely tough. Cut the tenderloin into 1" pieces and let brine for about 2 hours. Since it's winter and there was still ice in it, I just left it on the counter top, but you could do it in the fridge instead. Drain the meat. It's not necessary to rinse. Grill on a hot grill (about 400 F) 5 minutes a side. Give it a brief rest, say 5-7 minutes and I promise it'll be the best deer you've ever eaten!!

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edifying expressions:

I can't believe that your babe is big enough for a Josiah Jump Up! And yes they do "have" to be in the action, when we are watching our youth pastor's baby, she loves being in her playpen, next to the children doing their schoolwork in the kitchen. If I bring her to the playyard in the living room, she squawks and talks to them trying to get their attention, but when she's next to them, she's a happy little baby!

How fun would it be for your children to see snow! We have only had a few flakes falling this season, that was back in November- We're feeling like we will get none this year :(

I brined my turkey this past year for our Thanksgiving meal, but the whole bird (23lbs) + the liquid must have weighed about 50 lbs, give or take. I was afraid to put it back into the refrigerator for fear that the shelf might break! I ended up letting out much of the brine water, to bring the weight down. It didn't completely cover the bird.

I absolutely loved the way it turned out, though, and I will definitely do it again. Although I will probably place it in a large cooler with lots of ice, out in the yard, to brine overnight.